Safe & The City sexual harassment app is streets ahead

Mar 12, 2018 · startacus.net

London-based tech startup, Safe & The City, last week launched its personal safety app designed to battle opportunistic crimes and sexual harassment on streets by using GPS technology, crowdsourced information and crime data from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in London.

The app uses police data to alert users in advance before approaching intersections with a patterned history of crime.

With #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns sparking conversations across the world about sexual harassment and gender inequality, Canadian-born and London-based entrepreneur – Jillian Kowalchuk – is taking action by introducing an app to tackle sexual harassment and violence against women
Safe & The City enables its users to report incidents based on how safe a route feels to mobilise tangible changes to improve safety on streets. In combining crowdsourced information on underreported experiences, like sexual harassment, with accurate data from the police (such as gun crime, personal property and theft amongst others), this unearths a wealth of invaluable data in a functional, everyday tool capable of making a real impact.

The app, currently available on iOS free of charge (Android soon to follow), features helpful prompts to stay alert before intersections where opportunistic crimes have happened more often as well as a 2-click access to 999 emergency services. After walks are completed, users can quickly rate elements of their walk, such as street lighting, to inform others of conditions and pattern behaviour that may make it better or worse to walk in a particular street at a certain time. In the future, the app will allow to share walks with friends and family to track real-time location and seeking help.